The long gestating conclusion of DC’s ambitious crossover film plans succeeds in course-correcting the tone of its film universe in the wake of the success of Wonder Woman.

It’s no secret that the Justice League audiences will be watching in theaters on November 17th is not the version that Warner Brothers had hoped it would be. DC was synonymous with great big budget comic book films the last decade riding the wave of the Christopher Nolan “Dark Knight” Trilogy. 2013’s Man of Steel, helmed by Zack Snyder and written by The Dark Knight’s David S. Goyer, relaunched Superman after an abortive attempt in 2006 in the grounded, gritty, dark-toned world-building hues that Nolan’s Batman had successfully emerged from. However, in 2012, Joss Whedon’s The Avengers changed the game of what audiences were expecting from their comic book films; light and quippy ensemble pieces with relatable heroes with feet of clay. The dark, solemn, archetypical heroes of Warner Brothers’ DC films; weighed down with moral ambiguities over their place in the universe and deaths caused by their wake were a harder sell to film audiences in the wake of the success of Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy. 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice made this all the more apparent when its breakout star was Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman; due to her character’s relatibility and lack of brooding. It’s also well-known that due to a family tragedy, Zack Snyder had to leave the film and Joss Whedon (director of Marvel’s Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron) had to step in to write and reshoot extensive amounts of the film. Now, as the film hits moviegoers’ screens, the question arises, does this unique product of two directors with vastly different track records regarding massive tentpole properties manage to work as a film?

The answer is yes. Justice League picks up some amount of time after Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. In the wake of Superman’s demise, criminals have become emboldened in their scope as the population is left in despair following the death of the Man of Steel. Snyder underlines this a little bit on the nose in one of his signature opening montages showing a world not that different from our own, with emboldened neo-nazis attacking an Islamic family and homeless being passed by to the strains of a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” as sung by Icelandic pop-star Sigrid. In this solemn world , Batman has taken back to crime-fighting in the streets of Gotham, not so much to scare the new superstitious and cowardly lots of criminals, but to use their fear. In the wake of Superman’s death, alien scouts known as Parademons are prowling the Earth in search of something and Batman realizes these beings are drawn to fear. Affleck’s Batman, one of the shining stars of Snyder’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, takes one of these Parademons down and comes to the realization they are searching for 3 cubes of power. Meanwhile, across the world on the Amazonian Isle of Themiscrya, one of these cubes, known as a Mother Box, has awakened and signaled itself to a being known as Steppenwolf, who was once aligned with beings known as New Gods and who has been in exile since failing to capture Earth for his master, Darkseid. Steppenwolf, having been alerted of Superman’s death by Lex Luthor at the end of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, makes his move to awaken these Mother Boxes and trigger an event called Unity to make the world palatable for his master. Thus, having been alerted to this crisis, Batman and Wonder Woman attempt to gather the other meta-humans they are aware of; Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) and the Cybertically enhanced Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) to make a stand and defend the Earth against Steppenwolf and his invading horde of Parademons and save the world.

Whedon’s signature is all over Justice League. The plot mechanic of having Steppenwolf collecting the Mother Boxes from Atlantis, Themiscrya, and Metropolis manages to work in the Amazons, introduce the Atlanteans, and give us some backstory on the Mother Boxes from how the one at STAR Labs was discovered and juggle the multiple franchises in an organic way. Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen follows the prototypical excited yet nerdy persona inhabited by Whedon characters from Buffy’s Willow to Firefly’s Wash. Miller steals every scene he is in and the chemistry between Miller’s Flash and Fisher’s Cyborg is one of the highlights of the film. One of the more compelling and refreshing angles on Justice League is that it is no particular characters movie; this is a true ensemble piece. While Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Affleck’s Batman are the breakout stars of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and both have their respective arcs, they don’t dominate the film’s narrative the way that Robert Downey Jr. dominated the Avengers films or Hugh Jackman’s Logan makes the X-Men franchise essentially Wolverine & Friends. This is Whedon’s 3rd tentpole superhero team franchise film and it feels like he’s got it down this time. The stakes seem real and delineated, each character has their own arc and the chemistry between them is earned by the time they team up. Ben Affleck’s Batman struggles in his role as reluctant leader and having to stop a threat that his aging, broken body cannot possibly stop. Wonder Woman struggles with filling the role of hero and beacon that Superman held in the world and those two plots drive the rest of the character’s interactions forward. Momoa’s charisma and swagger as Aquaman bolds well for his solo film and he’s one of the shining new stars of this piece. The big elephant in the room of Justice League; where is Superman and is he represented in the film, is answered early on and works within the context of the universe this world has built. The way the team comes together in Justice League is much more organic than how Whedon handled it in Avengers and while the film feels like a Whedon film, its definitely taking its lead from the groundwork Snyder laid out for it in earlier films and ties up some loose ends from previous DC films.

While Justice League is definitely worth the watch, it is by no means perfect. The CGI in the film is more than a bit rushed and excessive; Steppenwolf is a fully CG character, voiced by Game of Thrones‘ Ciaran Hinds. There’s no real or even canonical reason for Steppenwolf to be a CG character and his fully CG face does not impress, it really hurts the finished product. Ciaran Hinds’ performance was not a motion captured one and overall it looks like a bad video game render that should’ve been caught sooner. It’s also been noted that Henry Cavill was working on a different film as the same time as Whedon’s reshoots that required he keep his moustache grown for that film during Justice League reshoots. As such, there are various scenes that have Cavill’s face digitally recreated sans mustache that don’t quite pass uncanny valley standards. They aren’t excessive, but the very first scene in the film, while excellent in tone and writing, suffers greatly from this issue. Ray Fisher is excellent as Cyborg and his brooding character growing into confidence is one of the films unexpected upsides; however, his CGI character design is overly Transformer-esque in execution and the rocky metallic texture of his outfits, as well as that of the Parademons and Steppenwolf, suffers from being overly similar to each other. The Parademons themselves are never treated as terrifying or bizarre and are basically as disposable a villain as the Chitauri in Avengers; Whedon knowns enough that introducing alien tech via an invasion scenario is a straight forward way to create plot opportunities for future films and was smart enough to integrate that in this film as well. The macguffin like Mother Boxes drive the film just as much as the Tesseract drives the first Avengers film, to create a sense of urgency and bond the group through adversity; but it would be nice if they also didn’t serve as a deus ex machina multiple times in the film. Whedon is a script doctor and a talented screenwriter, he knows a good script needs certain beats and this film hits them, albeit a little too loudly at times. It also goes without saying that this film completely ignores the existence of Suicide Squad and might be a stronger film had that film not hit on some of the beats that Justice League also hangs its hat on, like the chaos in the wake of Superman’s death. One might argue that it almost doesn’t make sense that a character like Will Smith’s Deadshot isn’t in the film given his character’s arc in Suicide Squad even as a back-up cleaner-esque character.

But for all the dodgy CGI design, the tone of the film is correct. We get actual characters with motivations and personalities and see them interact in ways that entertain and inspire. Danny Elfman’s score also adds to this feeling; one with pomp and circumstance and horns reminiscent of John Williams’ score for Superman – which makes several appearances in the film, as well as Elfman’s own themes from the classic 1989 Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns. This movie gives the DCEU a blank slate to springboard hopeful films in the vein of Wonder Woman. It boasts one of the best mid-credit scenes in recent memory and its post credit scene promises a film that longtime DC fans would be excited to see. But the important thing it gets right is that its a movie that spotlights the characters in a team-up, but shows us these are characters who are stronger together. Steppenwolf is the film’s big bad, but the real stumbling block is these characters overcoming their fears and shortcomings and realizing that as a unit they are better than any could be individually; a lesson that Marvel still stumbles in telling in its team up films. Justice League is probably the beat team-up film since 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and infuses the DC universe with some much needed light.

Director Taika Waititi (The Hunt for The Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows) delivers Marvel Studios’ most entertaining comic book movie since 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy

The recent slate of Marvel Studios’ recent films spinning off of Avengers: Age of Ultron have been these overwrought thinkpieces on the morality of keeping secrets and in-fighting between scenes meant to build up future films and spinoffs for characters in Marvel’s categories. Even Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 seemed a disjointed parody of its original without the fun and sense of wonder and whimsy you get with the best of comic book adaptations. Thankfully, Taika Waititi’s Thor Ragnarok works primarily by recognizing the dry humor apparent in the fish out of water characterization of Thor in prior Marvel films and turning that up to the Nth degree with great results.

As the film kicks off, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has seemingly been captured by Surtur, a mythical being whose existence is meant to lead to Ragnarok, the destruction of Asgard. Thor has been playing possum and attacks Surtur to capture his crown, the source of his power, in a battle scene set to “Immigrant Song” that evokes a sense of looking at fantasy art inspired rock covers in the 1970’s while listening to stoner metal. Everything about Thor Ragnarock is turned up to 11; it is definitely space opera and Marvel Comics’ closest film to something like Flash Gordon. Upon returning the crown to Asgard, Thor sees that Loki has been ruling the 9 kingdoms while dressed up as Odin and takes him to Earth to find their father. It is here that we find Odin at the end of his days who informs Thor and Loki that they have a sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), the goddess of Death, whose power comes from Asgard and as Odin fades, Hela appears. Thor attempts to strike her with Mjolnir, his enchanted hammer, and she crumbles it into pieces and as Loki summons the Bifrost to take them back to Asgard, the two attempt to derail Hela, which ends with Loki and Thor both being thrown out of time and space.

Here, Thor is captured by Scrapper #142, a former Asgardian Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who sells Thor to The Grandmaster of Sakaar (Jeff Goldblum), ruler of a gladiatorial warworld built on violence as sport. Meanwhile, Hela attempts to dominate Asgard with the help of her reluctant executioner Skurge (Karl Urban) but encounters a resistance movement led by Thor’s companion Heimdall (Idris Elba). Can Thor recover his confidence and help Heimdall or is Asgard doomed to a reign under Hela?

These are compelling questions made possible by Waititi’s unique direction. As Helmsworth’s Thor tries to free himself, he encounters would-be revolutionaries like Korgg (Waititi) who try to encourage him, yet tell him all have fallen under The Grandmaster’s champion; the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Hulk has been in control for the last 2 years and Banner has been dormant, as Thor must struggle to reconcile his relationship between the man and the beast to help his people. Ruffalo has a lot of fun with this and his relationship with Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is engaging in both roles. Thompson is a breakout as Valyrie and a welcome foil for Thor. Blanchett’s Hela is also a lot of fun, a deposed war machine who sees herself as a motivational coach who gets things done, whether by uplifting pep talks or raising an army of zombified Asgardians.

That being said, there’s some potential downsides to the film. Make no mistake, this is a comedy- action film in the mold of Buckaroo Banzai or Big Trouble in Little China. Waititi leads with humor and it stays in that gear. There’s a lot of camp to this film and if you like films like Flash Gordon, you will love Thor Ragnarok. That being said, its good to see a light hearted Marvel movie that works and feels original and isn’t just a prequel to another Avengers film.

]]>http://www.cultfollowing.co/reviews/review-thor-ragnarok-2017/feed/0Review: All I See Is You (2017)http://www.cultfollowing.co/reviews/review-all-i-see-is-you-2017/
http://www.cultfollowing.co/reviews/review-all-i-see-is-you-2017/#commentsWed, 15 Nov 2017 22:20:35 +0000http://www.cultfollowing.co/?p=1648

Director Marc Forster (Stranger Than Fiction, World War Z) directs this film starring Blake Lively and Jason Clarke in a drama about whether the grass is greener on the other side when given the opportunity to cross the line.

It goes without saying that Blake Lively has a tremendous amount of big-screen charisma. Even in films like Savages and Green Lantern, Lively manages to make her characters feel alive and relatable and a big part of that is what keeps All I See Is You from completely drowning in a slough of its character’s ennui and unhappiness.

Lively plays Gina, an American expatriate living in Thailand with her husband James (Jason Clarke). Gina spends her days teaching Thai children music and guitar and wistfully thinking of better days. You see Gina is blind, having lost her sight in a tragic accident at an early age. She is dependent on her husband James for security and companionship, but wishes she could have more and pursues an opportunity for a corneal transplant that would allow her to see. James is supportive, but at the same time, controlling and and conservative. He doesn’t like to dance and prefers his life as a homebody while Gina still wants to dance and be a normal person. Throughout the early part of the film, he does things like step aside to leave Gina alone at a club to show her how helpless she is and how easier it is to just have the two of them against the world. But once Gina gets her sight, she starts to literally see the world differently and imagines how things could be better and how much she has missed. A celebratory vacation to Spain serves to further open Gina’s eyes and awaken her to possibilities, both figuratively and sexually, and she starts to look for opportunities to divorce herself from her own life.

In many ways, Forster’s film is ugly and beautiful. Like 2017’s The Ticket, it supposes that someone suffering from a disability will start looking for a way to better themselves from their previous condition and upgrade their partner and life as soon as the situation presents itself. Forster’s heavy handedness with Clarke’s character James is there to try and show Gina could be better off without him, but at the same time, the two seem driven more by plot than feelings. The film’s cinematography is the true star of the film. Cinematographer Matthias Koenigsweiser creates a beautiful film, with vivid colors and beautiful vistas shot in Spain and Thailand that show how Gina is seeing the world for the first time. This suffers at times when Forster early in the film uses “Daredevil”-esque vision effects to try and show us how Gina sees as a blind woman. This effect which just seems jarring and doesn’t really work and it telegraphs the plot a bit too much as we can see the quality of her vision by the fidelity of the effect. That being said, the film is also a throwback to films like Atom Egoyan’s Exotica or Soderberg’s The Girlfriend Experience in that it feels like we’re seeing something intimate but ultimately wrong

In the end, All I See Is You doesn’t really work. The characterization is too forced by plot demands and seems inorganic; dictated by a need to move the story forward and not its character’s inner lives. James’ controlling behavior is there just to set a tone and move a beat forward and Gina’s dissatisfaction with her life just doesn’t ring true. It feels like like we’re seeing Lively act, more than we are seeing this character of Gina on the big screen. Disappointing on that level and just doesn’t recover with an overly moralistic ending.

The Cult Following crew is back from hiatus with an all-new episode for Halloween focusing on essential movies you should view not just for Halloween, but that are criminally underseen and underrated. This episode will build your horror playlist with picks from all over the place, from VHS oddities to Hitchcock and classic Universal horror essentials and everywhere in between!

Hey guys, this episode was recorded earlier this summer, but its raised from the grave just in time for Halloween! In this episode, we chat about Stephen King adaptations following the success of IT and the crew talks about some of their favorite books and works of his. Check it out leading up to the debut of our Halloween episode!